Improved railroad-switch



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S. C. MEGILL. OF NE'WARK, NEW JERSEY.

Letters .Patent No. 72,519, dated .December 24, 1867; anteclateol December 14, 1867.

IMPROVED RAILROAD-SWITCH.

TO ALL .WHOM IT MAY CON CERN:

Be it known that I, S.,C. MEGILL, of Newark, Essex county, New Jersey, have-invented a new and improved Railroad-Switch; and 'I do hereby declarethat the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make a'nd use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

This invention relates to anew and improved railroad-switch, of that class which are operated by the locomotive` in case the switch, through the negligence of the switchman, should not be in line with the track on which the train is moving.

The invention is designed to obviate accidents, which frequently occur in consequence of the sw'itehman failing to readjust a. switch in line with the main track, after moving it to allow a train to pass from the branchy track upon the main track, and vcc versa. In the accompanying sheet of drawings- Figure isl a side sectional view of my invention, taken in the line a: fr, fig. 2. Figure 2, a plan or top view of the same. Figure 3, a transverse vertical section ofthe same, taken in the line y y, iig. 2. Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts. A represents the rails of a main track; B, the rails of a branch track; and C, a. switch constructed and applied in the usual way so as to form a connection with the branch track or a continuation with the main track, A

as may be desired, the ordinary hand-lever D bei-ng applied to the switch, and arranged in the usual or in any proper way. E represents what may be termed a three-armed lever, secured dn the tie F, on which the free or disengaged end of the switch works. One arm, a, of this lever is connected by a rod, G, with the lower end of a bent lever, II, which is placed by thc side of one ofthe rails A. ofthe main track. The shape of this levcris shown clearly in iig. 1. The rod Gris formed of two parts, connected by a joint, shown in figs. 1 and 2. Another arm, c, of this lever, which is in line with the arm a, is connected by a rod, I,V with a bent lever, J,

similar to H, and placed at the same side of the main track as H, but at the opposite end of the switch, the

latter being between the two bent levers H J. The other arm, d, of the lever E is connected by a rod, c, with the switch, as shown in iig. 2. When the switch C is in line with the main track, the`upper arms of the levers H J are suicently depressed to be below thc reach of -thc llangesot the wheels of 'the locomotive, and hence cannot be acted upon by them. When the switch, however, is in line with the branch track, the upper arms of'.

the levers H J will be suiciently elevated t'o be acted upon by the flanges of the wheels, and depressed by them so as to tli'rowthe switch in line with the main track, the lever I-I or J being acted upon'accordiug to the direction in lwhich the train may be moving. Thus by this simple means the switch C, in case of not being adjusted back, after being moved in line with the'branch track for a train to passthereon from the main track, and vice versa, will be moved or adjusted in liuc with the main track by the wheels of the locomotive.

When it is necessary to adjust .the switch, so that a train can pass upon the branch track from the main track, the switch is moved by the switchman after the last car of the train has passed the lever H or J, it being designed in practice to have said levers sufficiently far from the switch to admit of this being done.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is

The construction and arrangement of the bent lever E, pivoted to the tie F, its inner arm fa connected to `the bent lever H by the jointed rod G, its outer arm c connected. to the angular lever J by the bent rod I, and

its arm d pivoted to the transverse rod e bearing the switch-rails C, all operating as described, for the purpose specified.

' S. C. M'EGILL.

Witnesses:

WM. F. McNAMARA, ALEX. F. Rosters. 

